Williams has been facing 6A competition a year after playing against eighth graders and Washington is a traditional wing forward who constantly is giving up inches while playing center. Both, however, are thriving and they let a large, loud crowd repeatedly see that Saturday at Ron Insinger Gymnasium.

Williams scored 13 points, made four steals and threw down two impressive one-handed dunks. Washington produced a double-double by halftime, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in three quarters and both ignited a convincing 73-44 Williamsport win in this annual rivalry grudge match.

“It was like a different experience,” Williams said. “I’ve never had that experience yet of playing in a game like this, so I knew I just had to come out and play and show the crowd what I could do.”

“It’s funny because usually I’m an undersized big man. I played wing forward my whole life but now I’m a big, so I’m usually undersized but now I got to play against someone my own size,” Washington said. “I was like, ‘Oh man.’ It’s going at them and playing strong, that’s all it is.”

Tevin Williams of Williamsport blocks the shot by Isiah Jennings of Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

All the Williamsport players went strong and helped the Millionaires (7-12) produced a second straight complete victory while exacting revenge following Loyalsock’s victory a year ago at the Magic Dome. Every player coach Allen Taylor used competed hard, played well and helped Williamsport impose the mercy rule by halftime when it led, 48-17.

Kyreek Bradshaw and Zion Hughes both scored nine points while combining for eight assists, Naazir Lowe made two first-half steals which led to points and Quincy Williams added seven first half points off the bench. Sophomore Kason Ulmer put an exclamation point on the resounding win, scoring 14 fourth quarter points.

“It felt great. You just have to work hard, trust in God and the rest will take care of itself,” Washington said. “They beat us last year and it left a nasty taste in our mouths. Coach T has been preaching that we have to get them back. Its’ a cross-town rival and you hate to lose those games, so we had a different level of focus this week. Now we have to carry that into the playoffs.”

Williams carried big expectations into his freshman year after excelling at the junior high level. The 6-foot-2 guard possesses freakish athletic ability as well as a well-rounded game and high basketball IQ. Coming off a 16-point performance in a win against defending District 4 Class AAAA champion Danville, Williams continued putting all those attributes together in eye-opening fashion.

Williams had all the Williamsport fans pumping up the volume early when he made a steal at midcourt and threw down a thunderous one-hand dunk. He repeated that sequence 15 seconds into the second quarter and triggered the flames which became an inferno as Williamsport put together a game-changing 29-8 run.

Kason Ulmer (43) of Williamsport puts up a shot against Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

In addition to scoring his 13 points, Williams played excellent defense, dealt three assists and seemingly flew through the air to block what looked like a sure Loyalsock second quarter layup. At the perfect time, Williams is unloading his entire arsenal, and his potential appears limitless, especially if he hits the weights and adds some more strength.

“The start of the year, I felt pressure because I was a freshman on varsity and I had to play well,” Williams said. “Now that the season is going on, it feels like I’m flowing with it. and it’s like how it’s supposed to be.”

“He has a huge ceiling,” Taylor said. “He just has to continue to put work in and look to get better every year because there is no telling what he’s going to look like three years from now.”

Washington has put in hard work since his freshman year and is showing what that effort can produce for a player as he grows more experienced. A good leader, Washington does a bit of everything and is a constant hustler. Saoj Jones held a slight height advantage on Washingtin in the post, but Washington is a strong, physical presence and produced 12 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.

Washington scored eight points in the decisive second quarter, finished 7 of 10 from the field and helped Williamsport hold a big advantage on the boards. It was the extension of what has become a breakout season with Washington consistently making runs at and/or collecting double-doubles while giving Williamsport a strong post threat.

Tevin Williams of Williamsport puts up a shot against Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“I wanted him to be a physical presence the entire night. If a shot goes up, he should feel you on the box out,” Taylor said. “He did a good job of closing the space and not allowing Saoj to be a shot blocker. He got right into his body and got it on the glass. He came through for us.”

Loyalsock trailed 19-9 after a quarter but became overwhelmed when Williamsport turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter. The Lancers turned the ball over 12 times and the Millionaires took a 33-point advantage in the half’s final seconds.

This will be the first time Loyalsock (6-16) has missed the playoffs in 25 seasons. Growing pains were expected, however, with Isiah Jennings (13 points) being the only returning player who received significant varsity time last year. The good news is that Loyalsock returns a quality core next season and Insinger plans on being along for the ride, saying he already is looking forward to a 52nd season.

“We’ll be fine. I’m just not going to settle for an average season. There are no excuses for that,” Insinger, the state’s all-time wins leader, said. “My lofty goals are not going to change because of one season. As long as I continue to stay in good health, I’m already anxious for Monday to come around when we have some open gyms.”

Six different Williamsport players scored during the first quarter and defense turned into rapid-fire offense in the second. The Millionaires piled up points off turnovers, shared the ball well and received strong contributions from everyone on the court.

Kyreek Bradshaw of Williamsport against Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

That included Quincy Williams who scored seven points in the second quarter, helping fuel the energy with his determined play on both ends. Putting all the pieces together, Williamsport made 19 of 31 first shots, turned the ball over just four times and gained momentum leading into a busy four-game week which starts tonight with a game against Bishop McDevitt at the Magic Dome.

“If you come out strong on the defensive end, the rest just kind of takes care of itself. I definitely think the energy translated,” Washington said. “You saw it in the second quarter. If you can take a team’s heart early, it just demoralizes them and that comeback; that run is not there.”

Ulmer put together quite a fourth quarter run, dominating the paint and showcasing yet another underclassmen who may be quite a difference-maker the next few years. Ulmer owned the boards, and totaled 14 points and seven rebounds in fewer than eight minutes. He also made his last seven shots and received a celebratory water dousing from his jubilant teammates in the locker room afterward.

“He was on a mission,” Taylor said. “I’m constantly on him during the JV game about bringing the ball down. He was getting rebounds and going right back up with it, so I was happy for him.”

Insinger was happy for his seniors’ efforts throughout the last four years and thanked them in his post game address. Cadyn Plank scored 13 points in his final game, Chase Wright six and Jaydn Wagner grabbed five rebounds.

Quincy Williams of Williamsport tries to block the shot by Isiah Jennings of Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The last time Loyalsock missed the playoffs in 2000, it immediately rebounded and won five straight district championships. Obviously, that does not mean anything in the grand scheme of things but it does provide a lesson for those players who will be a year more experienced next season.

“I go back to the old input equals output. Whatever you put into something is what you’re going to get out of it, and I’m hoping the underclassmen see that,” Insinger said. “The silver lining is we have 2-3 more years with a lot of them. It’s going to be what we do from now through November that is going to make the difference next year.”

WILLIAMSPORT (73)

Kyreek Bradshaw 4 0-2 9, Micah Washington 7 0-0 14, Zion Hughes 2 4-6 9, Tevin Williams 6 0-0 13, Naazir Lowe 2 0-0 6, Quincy Williams 3 1-1 7, Kye Diakite 0 1-2 1, Kason Ulmer 7 0-0 14, Alex Takach 0 0-0 0, Jahki Brister 0 0-0 0, Dezmyr Noble 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 6-11 73.

LOYALSOCK (44)

Isiah Jennings 6 0-2 13, Jalil Coates 0 0-0 0, Cadyn Plank 4 3-4 13, Saoj Jones 1 1-2 3, Jaydn Wagner 0 0-0 0, Isaac Blackwell 1 1-2 3, Chase Wright 3 0-0 6, Braydon Cioffi 1 0-0 3, Ronnie Emery 0 0-0 0, CJ Taylor 0-2 0, Zach Blackwell 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 5-12 44.

Williamsport 19 29 11 14–73

Loyalsock 9 8 15 12–44

3-pointers: Williamsport 5 (Lowe 2, Bradshaw, Hughes, Williams); Loyalsock 5 (Plank 2, Jennings, Cioffi, N. Blackwell).

Records: Williamsport 7-12. Loyalsock 6-16.

Zion Hughes (15) and Micah Washington (22) of Williamsport try to stop the shot by Chase Wright of Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Micah Washington of Williamsport tries to stop the shot by Saoj Jones of Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Kyreek Bradshaw (1) and Micah Washington (22) of Williamsport try to stop the shot by Saoj Jones (34) of Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Isiah Jennings of Loyalsock puts up a shot against Williamsport at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Micah Washington of Williamsport tries to keep the ball from Zach Blackwell of Loyalsock at Loyalsock High School. Williamsport won 73-44. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette